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SURVEY
Deacon Forrest Briesch is a fulltime pastoral associate at
the Church of the Transfiguration in Marietta. He is respon
sible for coordinating instruction for parents of children to
be baptized, and RCIA. He works with couples preparing for
marriage and counsels couples seeking annulments. He
visits the sick, preaches and performs baptisms, marriages
and funerals.
1. Yes, in many ways the
new liturgy of the Mass with
its use of the vernacular
and active participation
beyond the traditional
usher and altar boy roles
gave me a sense of real
ownership in the official
public worship of the
Church that I only minimal
ly experienced before
Vatican II in the para-
liturgical devotions.
As Catholics, over the past several centuries, our relation
ship with God to the persons of Father, Son and Holy Spirit
had progressively become more vertical, personal,
transcendent and unfortunately, apprehensive. I feel this
created in me and for many others a false image of God as
being aloof, overly demanding, conditionally loving, insen
sitive and at times vindictive. The focus seemed to me to be
more on God’s power, omniscience and his strict sense of
justice than on his love and mercy.
The openness, acceptance and understanding flowing
from the changes of Vatican II in such areas as ecumenism,
marriage legislation, laity involvement in a broad spectrum
of Church life and the restoration of the diaconate including
admittance of married men to this order has effected in me a
better image of God. For me at least there now exists a
balance between the vertical transcendent nature of God
and his horizontal immanent, incarnational and communal
nature as expressed in the humanity of Jesus. The Father for
me has become loving, gentle, compassionate and forgiving,
more in focus with the image that Jesus taught through His
parables and miracles. Jesus has become more ap
proachable due to a better balancing of His humanity and
divinity; and the Holy Spirit has become a powerful force in
my life as a counselor and guide.
2.1 feel much still needs to be done in three areas of con
cern for the Church. It seems to me we are still too focused on
the legal and governing role of the Church. The pastoral role
of the Church as exemplified by Jesus towards the women at
the well, I feel, suffers greatly by this focus. Our mission to
evangelize and make disciples of all nations stumbles in
“How” to welcome, receive and minister to those whose
lives will not fit neatly into the compartments of acceptabili
ty that our laws create.
In my life I have encountered many people who have been
alienated by an unfortunate perception of us as elitist
regarding membership — preferring only the cream of the
crop, so to speak. Jesus simplified the overly burdensome
legalistic law of the day by two simple commandments —
love God and love your neighbor. Couldn’t we examine,
reduce and simplify our Church code of law in light of these
same two commandments?
We have restored many of the practices today that existed
in the first five centuries of the Church such as the diaconate,
the vernacular, Eucharist as meal, etc. I feel two areas still
beg for restoration or reform — optional celibacy for priests,
and admittance to Ordered service of all who qualify by vir
tue of their spirituality, knowledge and sense of commit
ment to service regardless of sex. Optional celibacy for the
Western church only became the accepted discipline in the
year 385 A.D. at the insistence of Pope Siricius. The Eastern
Rite never adopted this practice except as it related to its
bishops and above.
The Church through the ages has tolerated, endured and
worked to overcome many cultural practices and attitudes
in society which it denounces today clearly as evil such as
slavery, racism, exclusive nationalism, vendetta, unfair
labor practices and sexism. Throught its faithful proclaim
ing the message of Christ, many of these evils today have
been weakened or eliminated. Areas previously the cultural
prerogative of only the rich, the royal or the male are in
reach today of the common person regardless of sex, race or
culture, such as medicine, law, accounting, etc. I would like
to see the Church address these same issues internally that it
has so successfully done in civil society. I believe it is the
time for the cultural chauvinism regarding service roles for
all of us and for the unforgiving attitude toward those who
challenge or refuse the human disciplines of the Church to be
buried in the same grave that their civil counterparts are.
Deacon
Forrest Briesch
Susan Buckley is director of
Heart Church in Atlanta.
1. Well, I wasn’t Catholic
in 1964, in fact, I became a
Catholic in 1975, so changes
had already taken place
and it was possible for me to
join. I was brought up to
distrust and be suspicious
of Catholics. Everyone in
my church at the time knew
that Catholics needed per
mission to do anything and
didn’t need to be responsi
ble or held accountable.
That didn’t fit the definition
of adult.
In 19751 wanted to be one
with my family in faith. My
husband was Catholic and
my first son was making his
first Holy Communion. I
decided to join. I also
discovered I like hearing
the Good News; that life
was a journey, that grace
was given freely along the
way and that adults needed
to be responsible, but I
feared the faith wouldn’t do
for me what I thought it had
done for others. At the end
of my preparation (one-
to-one with a priest), I still
had doubts although I was
ready for the traditional
ceremony. I took a giant
step at that point because I
couldn’t define or unders
tand “Transubstantia-
tion,” the mystery of the
Eucharist was something I
didn’t own yet but no one
asked me if it was mine
either. I decided not to
worry about it, accept it and
practice using the Eu
charist and see what would
happen. During my first
confession I remembered
sharing my fear that if
anything happened to my
family, if my husband or
children were taken away
from me, I didn’t know if I
could remain a Catholic.
Thank the Lord, that wise
religious education at Sacred
Susan Buckley
priest accepted me with all
my doubts.
A short 10 years later, I
am a director of religious
education, whatever that
means! It speaks to me of
my journey in maturing
and deepening faith, not of
knowledge. In fact, God
shakes his head and laughs
with me in all that I don’t
know but He delights in my
eagerness to learn.
All that the Catholic
Church offered is real and it
worked when I let it. It was
an invitation I took serious
ly — to be responsible,
honest, explore, examine
and grow. I am thankful
and grateful for the growth
the Church has gone
through too. The Church ex
periences growth pains just
like the individual does. It is
all so normal and healthy, it
needs to be celebrated.
2. Nothing. We need good
caring and sensitive
leaders in the ecumenical
movement. My parents,
brothers and sisters did not
support or understand my
decision to become Catholic
then and they do not now
and yet I sense that they
know I have something
special.
Rose Kinkela is a member of St. John the
Evangelist parish in Hapeville where she is active in
the Ladies Guild and the Ladies Boutique. She is
treasurer of the Archdiocese of Atlanta Council of
Catholic Women.
1. Well, in a couple of ways yes. Before Vatican II, I
just went to Mass and tried to follow the Latin with
the English translation. I don’t think I was able to
concentrate. I’ve begun to realize, since it’s in the
vernacular, just what the Mass means. I really enjoy
it more.
Before Vatican II we accepted whatever our priests
and bishops said. Now I appreciate the fact that I can
go ahead and talk to my pastor, ask him questions
and I can disagree with him without feeling that I’ve
committed a sacrilege. I really enjoy the new
companionship we enjoy with our priests and nuns.
And this new companionship has given me more
respect for them.
One of the best results is that we now have more
adult education classes. They’ve been very helpful to
me, I get much insight into the complexities of our
religion and I feel free to ask questions.
2.1 do not like the idea of everybody drinkng out of
the common cup especially since the U.S. Congress
passed a law years ago that you can’t have common
cups in schools, bus or train stations because of the
transmission of disease.
I would like to see the solemnity restored to the Mass
without crowding the altars with Eucharistic
Ministers and children.
I personally would like to see a High Mass
celebrated once in a while and Benediction. And I
think they should start teaching children the
Baltimore Catechism.
PAGE 7 — The Georgia Bulletin, November 21, 1985
Father David R.
Kukielski is parochial vicar
at the parish of Sts. Peter
and Paul in Decatur.
1. What did the changes
brought about by Vatican II
do for me personally?
— Greater understanding
of the church as “commu
nity” and greater aware
ness of my personal need
for such.
Greater awareness of all
members of the Church as
missioned to proclaim the
Gospel in word and deed.
Greater awareness of the Church as a dynamic entity and
not a static one thus always in need of further growth and
change.
— Spirit of hope.
2. What renewal or restoration would I like to see?
— Optional celibacy for diocesan clergy.
— Women deacons, priests and bishops.
— Small parish communities rather than large, with each
having but one Mass on Sunday.
— Continued liturgical renewal: design of worship spaces
which allow for the entire assembled community (and not
only the priest) to move from lectern to altar, as well as the
development of a third liturgical center, the baptismal pool,
located near the entry way of the church building and
around which the entire assembled community gathers for
both the introductory and closing rites of each Mass.
— Renewing the practice of not only baptizing, but con
firming and giving First Eucharist to infants when we
receive them into the Church, thus restoring even here the
integrity of the Sacraments of Initiation as a unit.
— Continued justice and peace efforts.
— Continued ecumenical effort.
Father
David Kukielski
Deacon Winston Leverett
and his wife Dorothy are
members of St. Paul of the
Cross parish in Atlanta.
Deacon Leverett is presi
dent of the parish Saint Vin
cent De Paul Society.
Dorothy Leverett is active
in SVDP, the Altar and
Rosary Society and is a
church usher.
1. Vatican II did bring
about changes that helped
Deacon Winston us t0 he better Catholics as
well as better Christians,
and Dorothy Leverett We became active par
ticipants instead of just
passive spectators. When the priest celebrated Mass with
his back to the people it was like riding in a bus sitting behind
the driver. The changing of the Mass from Latin to English
with the priest facing the people gives us a better understan
ding of the Mass and its true meaning. Sharing in both
species at communion, being able to receive the bread of the
Lord in the hand is very special to us.
Sister Barbara Smiley,
R.S.M., is coordinator for
adult education and youth
ministry, St. John the
Evangelist parish in
Hapeville.
1. Every decision made
before Vatican II was made
for us.
I think one of the things
happening with Vatican II
is that more decision
making is given to the in
dividual. I found that
helpful to maturity and, Sister Barbara
looking at my own vocation, Smiley, R.S.M.
as more my making the
decision to keep on going in the stages of formation. The
changes gave us a lot of freedom and that freedom helped us
in doing works of mercy. Before, we were almost cloistered
and not able to go out and do works of mercy. You would get
up, go to school, come back. Your life was very regimented. I
find that the freedom we have now really does help us in
reaching out to people and in doing works of mercy.
2.1 would like to see Religious women and the laity more
involved in decision-making, not just on the pastoral level
but on the diocesan and the whole Church level. The other
thing I would like to see is women’s ordination. I feel there
are women who feel called to that. I don’t believe there is
anything keeping them from it except tradition. I would like
to see it studied and acted on more than it is.
